camaromuscle89

if i run straight headers with no y-pipe hooked up to it is that ok to drive the car around? will anything happen to my motor??? i was told it would is that true??

xgtharo86x

iTrader: (1)

u mean just open headers lol? id just get a cutout for when u want it loud lol

camaromuscle89

well when i put my other motor in i put headers on well they dont line up with my stock exhaust so untill i order one im going to have to drive with open headers but im just asking if anything will happen to mu motor i wa told it would i just dont kow if thats true?????

xgtharo86x

iTrader: (1)

i heard it does some damage to the exhaust valves or something..my buddy used some flex pipes till he got his y pipe

Supervisor42

Hell no. Old wives tale. It won't harm your engine if you don't have an O² sensor. If you have shortie headers, check the area around them to make sure nothing gets burnt (wires, starter, speedo cable, etc) because there be bigtime fire coming outta them. I still haven't gotten around to building my exhaust and have only turn-downs on the L/T headers for a couple of years now. They work wonders for cutting down on the "lub, lub, lub" sound that callsthe cops.

camaromuscle89

so straight headers will not harm my engine thanx for the info my y-pipe dosent line up to it so for now ill just have to run straight headers thank you
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its a 89 rs i just droped a 350 in it so what about the o2 sensor????

r62mcmahon

you could burn a valve.

Supervisor42

If it's FI or CC-carb then it's got an O² sensor. O² sensor and open exhaust don't play well together. Like an exhaust leak, the sensor will pickup the oxygen wandering up back-pulses from the open pipe and will cause the engine to run too rich.
Now if you have a conventional carb and a vacuum dizzy, it's all good...

camaromuscle89

i have a 89 rs i just droped a 350 tbi in it so its no good to drive wit open headers????? so if its no good what can i do untill i get a y-pipe????

ljnowell

No, he wont. Running open shorties wont burn a valve. As posted above, this is an old wives tale. I wouldnt recommend running an open port though(no header at all). Thats a real bad idea for a whole bunch of reasons. Though it is a rather awe inspiring event to see in the dark.

joeblue83

iTrader: (8)

It will not hurt your engine. I drove around a 96 monte carlo for 2 weeks. It was the worst 2 weeks of my life. It was a stock V6, it made so much noise, I don't know why you would want to do that, its an invitation to getting pulled over or possibly a ticket

camaromuscle89

well i have the headers on but my y-pipe didnt line up with it so i have to cut the y-pipe near the cat. so now i just have the headers hooked up. so it wont do anything even if i have a o2 sensor??? i just dont want any problems with the motor lol i just droped it in and i dont even want to go threw that trouble again lol.

Supervisor42

You have now heard the truth. It's false.

See above.

Running with completely open exhaust ports is a different story. I have run engines on the test stand with headers and without headers (open ports).
Running with open ports (no manifold or header) will make the engine run lean, which will damage exhaust valves (over time).
I've had to adjust previously dialed-in carbs, richer when put on an engine with open ports, then adjust them back when open headers were put on. With open headers or even iron manifolds, no adjustment is needed.
While we're slaying old wives tales, you know you have to put a battery on a block of wood if you put it on concrete, to keep the concrete from sucking the juice out of it, right?
Old wive's tale.
People put batteries on wood blocks so they don't end up with a permanent white rectangle on their concrete from the battery acid. Some idiot saw that and someone like me said: "you have to do that to keep the battery from running down"... and then laughed like hell as soon as he left.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

ohhhh..... Huh, well that explains all my white rectangles on my garage floor... Damn.

Yea, I had to run my car with open heads for the break in, then to drive it across town to get the exhaust made up to match my headers. Get a lot of looks doing that... Driving around with big oil-rig style head phones on......
It's DEAFENING. It won't hurt anything though. I blackened my oil pan due to my collector style, but the soot just wiped off. Probably had pretty hot oil for that time...

Supervisor42

I bet that was a Kodak moment!!
Cheap $7.00 turn-downs cut the noise down a bunch.

camaromuscle89

thank you for everyones anwsers so im taken it is not true so the person that told me that can go fly a kite lol i just droped a 350 tbi in now i painted my engine block do i have to scrape a spot off so i can put the starteer ground wire back on the block????